What’s the deal with the huge empty lot at the northeast corner of Broad and Washington? Hidden City reports a rumor about Wal-Mart exploring the possibility of a city store there as part of a mixed-use development. But Naked Philly hears that Dranoff Properties is negotiating for the property hot and heavy, with a supermarket as the possible anchor tenant.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has been greening vacant lots throughout Philadelphia for a decade, and University of Pennsylvania researchers finds that incidents of gun violence and vandalism dropped around greened lots, The Atlantic Cities reports that by reclaiming the lots the study suggests crime was deterred by a perception that neighbors were watching over the greened spaces, but also that greened lots do not provide a dumping ground or hiding place for handguns.